The thought of Kit not recognizing me scared me shitless. I nodded at the doctor, my mouth too dry to speak.
“He’ll pull through this,” the doctor reassured me. “He has his youth and health on his side.”
“Thank you, Dr. Innes, for everything.”
The doctor walked away, and I inhaled deeply, then stepped into the room. I closed the door gently behind me, then tiptoed to the bed. Kit seemed to be sleeping, his face twitching as if he was dreaming about the horrors of what had happened.
I kissed his forehead, then pulled the only chair in the room closer. I sat beside him and took his hand in mine, watching over him through the painful ache in my heart.
I didn’t speak. Didn’t want to wake him up and see him in distress, so I took comfort in being near him. I released his hand briefly and texted Liam.
Sully: Kit’s sleeping. Go home without me.
Liam: I’ll be back in the morning. Call me if anything changes in Kit’s condition.
Kit slept fitfully, waking up twice, but I wasn’t sure if he realized where he was or even who I was. He sounded confused, and his eye movements were wild. I was relieved when he fell back asleep both times. Seeing the severity of his condition only made me want to kill that bastard all over again.
Instead, I kept watch and hoped for the best.
Gentle talking woke me up from my slumber. I clenched my eyes shut and groaned at the ache in my body. My neck was stiff, and my back would surely need a massage.
Kit.
My eyes flew open as memories of what had happened filtered in. My heart rate slowed down at the sight of him sitting up in the bed, being examined by the doctor. They’d removed the ventilator last night. Kit looked more alert, but he couldn’t hide that he was scared.
“Good morning, Mr. Matthews,” Dr. Innes said. “I trust you slept well.”
“Doesn’t matter how I slept. How is he?” I asked.
Kit still hadn’t said anything, and his gaze was on his hands in his lap. How much of last night did he remember? Seeing him looking so vulnerable and quiet when he was usually full of life and energy made me want to roar at the world for its unfairness. He’d already been through so much, and now this.
Was my job responsible for doing this to him?
“His vitals are strong,” the doctor replied. “He hasn’t had any more seizures, but we’ll bring him up shortly for an MRI—just as a precaution. He might still experience some side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness, and I’d like to keep him here for another twenty-four hours so we can monitor him, but at this time, he’s out of the woods.”
His smile was probably meant to reassure me, but it failed. We shouldn’t have to monitor Kit. He shouldn’t have had to go through that experience last night.
When Dr. Innes left, I sat at the edge of Kit’s bed. I reached for his hand, but he jerked away. That movement was like a slap in the face. I withdrew my hand, but he caught it and held on tight.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I feel weird.”
“Should I get the doctor to come back?”
“No, not unwell, weird. I just… What happened last night, Sully? My head’s all crowded with images, but nothing is clear.”
I locked my fingers with his and squeezed. “First, can you tell me what’s the last clear memory you have?”
“We were at a club. I was dancing, and you were watching me. I remember thinking that I wish you would dance with me.”
If I had, none of this would have happened. Nobody could have come close to him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t dance with you. I’m sorry about last night.” I kissed the back of his hand, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.
“What happened to me? How did I overdose on something I’d never take in my life?”
“You were dancing.” I forced the words out. “I swear I was watching you the whole time, but Liam returned, and I got distracted talking to him. By the time I turned back to the dance floor, I couldn’t see you anymore. Kit, we searched for you, but you were already gone. I’d never been so afraid in my life.”
“Gone? Where?”